


No Heroes for Gotham

by Intrepid_Inkweaver



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Introspection, M/M, Pre-Slash, Slight spoilers for The Spirit of the Goat I guess, but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-01
Updated: 2014-11-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 11:41:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2546270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Intrepid_Inkweaver/pseuds/Intrepid_Inkweaver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bottom line was, he actually used to be like Gordon. He used to think the way his partner does. Like maybe, if he could be the good guy—the good cop—he could make the city a better place. Maybe show an example or some shit like that. Gotham cured him of this misconception.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Heroes for Gotham

**Author's Note:**

> "Watch out for him."  
> "Oh yeah? Why's that?"  
> "He's a loose cannon. He thinks he's a White Knight jumping into the breach. Like some idiot in the movies."  
> ~Dicks and Gordon

Harvey Bullock wasn't always the way he is now. How was it that Gordon had described him? Cynical and lackadaisical? No, he definitely wasn't always this way. Some people might even have said he was a bit of an idealist. Maybe for Gotham, he was. It didn't take much to be considered an idealist in Gotham.

Bottom line was, he actually used to be like Gordon. He used to think the way his partner does. Like maybe, if he could be the good guy—the good cop—he could make the city a better place. Maybe show an example or some shit like that. Gotham cured him of this misconception. Not quickly—no. Slowly and painfully it drained him of his ideals and replaced them with cynicism and indifference. He watches every day as more grey shows up in his beard and new lines show up on his face. He doesn't shave as much as he should anymore, and he needs a haircut. Why should he? No one cares. (It still stings a little when Gordon uses the word slovenly on him. Just a little. Even if it's more true than he would care to admit.)

He doesn't want Jim Gordon going through the same slow, lonely lesson that he had. (Maybe he's not completely indifferent after all.) Gotham doesn't want any heroes. He takes it upon himself to try to teach this to his boy-scout of a partner. Maybe the lesson could be made less painful. He tried to get it through to him. He also did his best to keep the idiot alive when he decided to do stupid heroic shit. Gordon was stubborn, though. Probably more stubborn than Harvey had been. None of his attempts at teaching got through to him. He keeps up with his ideals and his bravery and his morals.

At first, he couldn't stand having a constant reminder of what he had once been—of what Gotham had taken from him—hanging around him. He did his best to push him away. To get him transferred, or given a different partner. He even tried to get Gordon _to_ transfer. He hadn't actually held out any hope that it would work, though.

He _likes_ him, though. He likes having him around. He likes dragging him out to lunch at all the places that no one would suspect having really great food. He likes Gordon's snark—even when it's aimed at him. Hell, sometimes he even likes arguing with him.

The problem comes up when he feels that little niggle in the back of his mind that he should be trying to live up to his partner's example, and not the other way around. He doesn't like that, and he pushes it away as quickly as it appears. Gotham doesn't want heroes. Gotham kills heroes. (He doesn't want Gotham to kill Gordon.)

Jim is too stubborn to realize that this city is too far gone to help. He's far too stubborn to just give up and get a nice cushy job someplace else and live happily ever after with Barbara.

He's also too stubborn to give up on his cynical, lackadaisical partner.

Harvey resents him for it.

He also kind of loves him for it.

God, he's such an idiot.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I know I can't be the only one that ships this. I just can't be. 
> 
> First time writing these (this) character(s), so go easy. :) ~II


End file.
